Never Say Never
by ReverentTowel
Summary: Hey, what's more awesome than your worst nightmares coming true? Turns out it might not be so bad after all. Tl;dr princess gets marooned with her stalker and their lives are dramatically changed. Some Devil's Due elements. One-sided Allura/Keith and Allura/Lotor.
1. Chapter 1

Note: Voltron doesn't belong to me, I'm just borrowing characters and ideas from people who paid for them (like WEP, Devil's Due, etc.). I haven't written anything like this before, this is the first time in a long time I'm writing anything for fun...if it sucks at times, that's probably why. However, I do read a lot and I wanted to explore some aspects of characters I don't feel get enough attention without taking them waaay too out of character (ugh, I hope). Also, the rating on this might change later depending where the story takes me. Thanks!

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"You have to leave." She said, her voice muffled by the dirty fabric of his shirt. The two of them stood in the doorway of an escape pod, holding each other so tightly she could swear she didn't know where she ended and he began. She held back bitter tears, burying her face in his warm chest.

"The security cameras will be back online in a few seconds-" He interrupted her by lifting her chin to kiss her deeply. She wished that kiss would never end, that they could throw their lives away and just be in this moment forever. He pulled away from her and stepped in to the escape pod.

"Allura, I love you." He said, his glassy eyes intensely holding her gaze. Her lips trembled, this was it. She had to let him go, or else risk losing him forever by putting his life in danger. She pressed a button on the wall of the ship and sealed the airlock, looking out at him through the window. She pressed her hand up against the bitterly cold glass, watching him slowly drift away.

"I love you too..."

Allura couldn't ever remember wanting to wake up as fast as she just did. She sat straight up in bed, feeling her sweat covered forehead, looking around to make sure she was still in her own room. To her immense relief it was all still there - pink, fluffy bedsheets and all, muted by the blue darkness. She sighed and rubbed the corners of her eyes. Allura had both dreams and nightmares like this before that had been more than simple dreams, a realization that made her stomach turn over. Sometimes they were simple things like cutting her finger slicing vegetables or the visions she had of the Voltron pilots coming to Arus, but they all had the same vivid feeling this nightmare of hers had.

She swung her feet to the edge of the bed, her messy blonde hair clinging to her face. There was still a lingering heaviness in her chest she wasn't sure was sleep deprivation or being so deeply disturbed from just a dream. Allura reached over to her nightstand, turning the clock to face her - still five more minutes before the alarm clock went off. Opening the drawer, she rummaged around until she found a small photograph of a dark-haired young man in full dress uniform. She traced the lines of his profile, admiring his exotic features. This was the man she had feelings for, not the one that she said goodbye to. Gently putting the photo back in the drawer, she stood up to stretch.

Looking out her window through sleepy eyes, she watched the growing light in the east begin to drown out the night. She had gone to bed pretty late in preparation of today, making a picnic lunch for two for this afternoon after the castle kitchens had closed down. Her bedroom door opened suddenly after a sharp knock, startling the princess. The alarm clock that Allura had forgotten unexpectedly went off, and she moved toward her night stand to turn it off. Her toe caught on a tattered hem on her night gown, causing her to crash down to the floor. The figure in the door wasn't able to catch her in time, but it was a welcome sight none the less.

"Are you alright, Allura?" Coran asked, offering his hand to the confused blonde on the floor. She took it, hoisting herself up, rubbing the side of her hip that had caught her fall for her.

"Yeah...are the others already awake?" She asked, silencing the offensive noise of her alarm clock.

Coran nodded, turning on the light in the room. He walked over to her bed and sat on it. "Everyone except for Hunk. I suspect that young man is not much of a morning person, if you know what I-" Suddenly, there was a loud thud and an angry yell that sounded very much like Hunk, and laughter that sounded like Lance that drifted down the hallway. Allura giggled, walking over to her closet to retrieve her pilot's uniform.

"Oh, poor Hunk...Thank you for coming in to wake me up," Allura said, smiling at Coran. He reached over the side of her bed, grabbing a large, pink, overstuffed bear.

"You know, it wasn't very long ago at all that you were playing with this..." He said, making the bear dance in his lap.

"That was such a long time ago! Ten years, at least." Allura said, snapping her head back to look at her surrogate father.

"Your twentieth birthday is coming up, as well."

She paused. "Oh, I know. I'm reminded of it almost every day. In fact, any time anyone brings up relationships AT ALL Nanny reminds me of it. Bless her heart, I know she means the best for me but I think it's more important we secure Arus first before I start something as mind numbing and frivolous as finding a husband. Is that what you came to talk to me about?" Coran simply smiled at the princess as she finished her rant and strode over to her. Allura fished out a pair of socks, held them up to the light to briefly inspect them, and stuffed them in to the leg of her boot. "I know this is too early for you to be up, too. You usually wake up an hour and a half later than this." She said, looking at him suspiciously.

Coran embraced the sleepy princess. "I'm just glad to know you're thinking about it one way or another. Good luck on your training session." He winked and tussled her already messy blonde hair, leaving her to get dressed. She closed her door, and looked at the clock. Shocked her conversation with Coran had eaten up so much of her time, she threw off her nightgown, and quickly got dressed. She yawned as she ran a brush rapidly through her tangled golden hair, deciding she could put it in a neat bun on the way down to the command center. She stopped to take a deep breath before she left her room, closing her eyes. A vision of a flash of a blue hand holding hers tightly interrupted her moment of calm, causing her to grimace. She walked out of her room, gathering her hair in to a ponytail.

_For once, I don't actually want to know. Put it behind you, it doesn't matter. What does matter is getting through this training and spending time with Keith later._


	2. Chapter 2

_"_Did it _really _have to be ice water? I think my nuts are still-oh, morning, Allura!" Hunk said, smiling sheepishly at the princess who had just made it down to the control center. It was difficult for him and the others to judge what was appropriate or not to say in front of her. Since Allura had taken on the role of the Blue Lion's pilot, the other four accepted the princess as 'one of the guys'. This was much to the disapproval of the strategist and lady of the court that had raised her, and sometimes the pilots were reminded rudely of the awkward invisible line separating her from them.

_"_Hey, vatch your language, zee prinzess es heer," Pidge gave Hunk a friendly elbow to the side, mimicking the heavy accent of the princess' nanny.

"Did I rustle your jimmies that much or are they so frozen they can't move?" Lance asked Hunk. He smirked, leaning against the control console. "Whatever gets you going in the morning, big guy. You need all the help you can get." Getting Hunk out of bed no matter what the situation was always a challenge, and Lance figured he would help enhance the experience of a training exercise for Hunk by dumping ice water on his crotch as he was sleeping. They were about to learn the only thing it earned them was the disapproval of their leader.

Keith emerged from the castle hallways, helmet under arm, looking very displeased with the immaturity of the rest of the group. Allura felt her heart skip a beat looking at him, marching toward his fellow pilots with a stern look on his face. She had thought he was handsome from the moment she'd seen him, and when he got all serious like this it was almost like he was irresistible; there was something about his strong work ethic and sense of justice that excited her. She bit the inside of her cheek, getting up the nerve to set herself in his path and intercept him.

"Good morning Keith, did you sleep well?" She asked shyly, managing a small smile. She gently probed his feelings, hoping to sense a spark of interest. Sensing the emotions of others had been something she had been able to do since she could remember. In fact, it was the beginning of how she figured out to communicate with the family of space mice that inhabited the castle. Now she was using it to gauge communication between herself and the dark stranger who had caught her eye since the day he arrived on her planet.

"For the most part. How about you?" Keith folded his arms over his chest, returning the question. She pursed her lips, resisting reflecting upon the still all-too-fresh memory of the nightmare that had woken her up in a cold sweat. An image of soft white hair and pale blue skin the color of the sky at dawn creeped in to her mind. Allura shook her head almost as if to erase it.

"I had a weird dream, but I think it's just stress. Still on for this afternoon?" Her eyes brightened, asking the commander. Her hands held each other at her back and she rocked back and forth playfully on her heels.

"Sure, it's supposed to be nice outside too. Hopefully we'll get to enjoy it." He replied, smiling back at her. She felt a small shock between them that felt like static electricity. She fought hard to conceal her joy. She had worked for this opportunity to spend time with him; logging long hours in the simulator to gain his respect, asking for help if she didn't understand a concept even if she did as an excuse to spend time with him.

He moved past her, scowling at the other three pilots. "I am glad to see you all awake, but you should know better than to act like first-year cadets." Keith took his job as leader of the Voltron force seriously, sometimes too seriously. Allura had teased him from time to time about letting go and having fun, but he was always worried the moment they lost focus and let down their guard would lead to dire consequences.

"Now that I have your attention, let's begin." Keith walked over to the console of the command center, booting up a presentation file on the large center screen with a series of rapid commands. "Today we move beyond the simulators and practice what we've done in real time. We'll fly out twenty miles east in to the desert, and then we'll engage the targets in formation. There will be three waves, each increasing in numbers and difficulty. Each of you should be able to disarm them by now..." Keith's eyes scanned over the rest of his fellow pilots, pointing to the locations of the practice missiles on the view screen. They were a tired lot, some of them looking like they had just rolled out of bed. Keith suppressed a yawn, moving on to the next image. "This is supposed to simulate a fleet battle with the Drule, so let's...yes, Lance?"

"Why are we doing this at the crack of dawn instead of a time when the living are walking the planet?" Lance asked flatly, punctuating his question with a rather loud sip of coffee. Keith paused to take a much closer look at his team. Hunk was intermittently snoring loudly during the briefing, and Allura could barely keep her eyes open. Lance had a pallor to his skin that he usually had after a long night of drinking, and Pidge was sitting with a small device and a screwdriver, tinkering with something to just stay awake.

Keith raised his fingers to his mouth, letting out a loud whistle. Allura and Hunk jolted awake, Pidge dropped his device he was repairing, and Lance fumbled with his cup, almost dropping his coffee. "Look, everyone, this is really important we are not only prepared at our best, but also at our worst. What if something happens and we can't form Voltron? In the middle of the night? ...Again? We need to get better at piloting the Lions through combat scenarios in the event this takes place. I don't know about any of you but I'm tired of scraping by. And Lance - this is exactly the reason why we are not doing this when the living are walking Arus! Shorty, you want to go over the rest of the details?" Keith stepped aside, sitting down next to Allura. Even though she was exhausted from the few hours of sleep the night before, Keith simply being next to her was plenty motivation to stay awake. She worked very hard to keep her eyes on Pidge, unable to hear anything but her arteries pounding in her ears with Keith so close to her.

"And the reason why they're special is that they don't cause damage to their target vessel, instead they are filled with a viscous pigmented fluid that color the outside of your lions on contact."

"So...they're filled with paint?" Hunk asked, his arms tightly crossing his chest.

"Precisely! It's a good way to figure out what your blind spots are outside of the simulator." He walked over to a table, pulling up a bucket and a paintbrush that had been sitting on the floor. "And here is some added incentive to do well this morning, you're responsible for cleaning up the marks left on your lions."

Allura shifted toward Keith, leaning slightly toward him, as if to very gently rest her shoulder against his. He stood up and faced the other pilots, leaving a confused girl tipped sideways leaning on an invisible arm.

"All right team, let's get to it! Pidge, mind doing the honors?" Keith asked, putting on his helmet. Pidge pressed the button to raise the hidden doors that cascaded down to the hidden chambers where the lions slept and quickly hopped down as it rose. Allura stared at Keith with a dreamy expression on her face as he ran toward the first door leading the way to his lion. There was something hypnotic about him being so serious, as irritating as it could be at times. Lance smiled, noticing the expression on Allura's face. He chugged the rest of his coffee and threw the disposable cup over his shoulder in to a nearby trash bin, letting out a satisfying sigh.

"Keith sure is something, isn't he? Hate to see him go, love to watch him leave." Lance muttered in Allura's ear, gripping the back of the bench she sat on. He watched her begin to blush, a creeping shade of red that started at her ears and colored her cheeks a pretty rose.

"LANCE! That's terrible!" Allura's eyes shifted. She feigned disgust to disguise her embarrassment, avoiding his gaze. '_That was strange, I wonder what he actually meant by that...'_ she asked herself. Something about his comment seemed awkward in a way that made her think of an onion; not only did his words stink but they contained layers she suspected he was not even aware of. "Is that just black coffee in that cup? How can you drink that stuff?" The princess asked, quick to divert attention away from Lance's loaded banter.

"Allura. I like my coffee like I like my women-"

"Extra large and first thing in the morning? Does that get your jimmies rustled, Lance?" Hunk finished the other uniformed man's sentence, earning a punch in the arm. They both laughed, joined by Pidge's snickering. Allura covered her face with her gloved hand. Her visions of the five saviors from far away she had been having since she was young didn't mention anything about their rough sense of humor - which at 5:45 in the morning was sometimes too much.

Allura descended in to the blue lion, started the massive engines and took off at what all seemed to be pure muscle memory. What had been a struggle months ago to remember what switch to flip and button to press when had become nearly instinct. As she joined with the rest of the lions in formation towards the mountains she felt her stomach almost jump in to her throat - though she had mastered basic controls in the simulator there was still much for her to learn when it came to target practice.

She closed her eyes for a moment, deeply breathing to calm her nerves. Almost immediately, Keith's voice rang out through the com system, "Here we go everyone!". Her hands gripped the controls so hard her knuckles turned white.

"You can do this. Breathe. You can do this." Allura muttered to herself, determined to keep calm. True, she had been able to make it through a couple of fights without sustaining substantial damage to her self and her lion but her pride was another thing entirely. More often than she liked someone had come to her rescue or they had managed to form Voltron before things got too out of hand. She knew deep down this was part of the reason why they were out over the desolate expanse of the desert as the sun started to rise, facing dummy missiles.

"Okay team, let's move in to gamma formation and destroy that first wave!" Keith shouted.

"Lock and load!" Hunk joined in the channel, arming his lion. Allura took this as the signal to do the same. She booted up the laser and the rocket launcher, using the lion's auto target system to skim over the projectiles headed her way. She inhaled a large amount of air through her nose, exhaling through her mouth and simultaneously pressing the button to fire. The incoming missles exploded before her in a colorful array, feeling extremely pleased with herself.

"Sigma!" Keith said, making the first move to adjust the flight pattern. The rest followed suit, arranging themselves accordingly. There was more coming at them this time, flying erratically as opposed to the orderly, sensible pattern they had previously assumed. Allura furrowed her brow and tightened her jaw. She mapped a quick attack pattern by swishing the targeting control erratically, and fired her laser at the incoming missles. She breathed a sigh of relief as she destroyed the second wave.

"Nice work, Allura! I guess we don't have to send you back to cadet school after all!" Pidge joked, praising her targeting skills.

"Final wave, get ready everyone! Alpha formation!" Keith's voice echoed over the com, initiating the change in formation. Allura, wide-eyed and high on adrenaline moved in between the other lions in preparation of the final wave. One more to go. One more and she would gain the respect of the other pilots and hopefully something more from one out of the four. She gripped the targeting control, sitting at the very edge of her seat.

Waiting for the rain of fire to begin, she took a moment to admire the sunrise. She gazed at the blinding light rising over the mountains, a particular tall spire of rock casting a dark shadow in the center of sun catching her attention. It looked like something she had seen before, an image reminiscent of the nightmare she had woken from earlier. Allura's eyes widened as she began to piece her visions together. Pale blue skin. Long, white hair. Gold, piercing eyes. "_No. No, it can't be. It can't be...It couldn't possibly..._" She caught sight of the third barrage and froze in fear, unable to act. Her vital signs being monitored by the lion flashed in alarm as her blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate climbed.

"Allura! ALLURA! What are you doing? Take aim and fire!" Keith's voice shouting at her was like a splash of cold water, but it was too late. She furiously moved her laser targeting system but was only able to hit a handful of the missles that made impact with the surface of her lion. The final attack of the dummy fleet had hit, coating the Blue lion's surface with loudly colored paint. She increased the magnification on the viewscreen to look at the 'damage' to the other lions, there was maybe a small flash of color from the impact of their weapons, but nothing like the bold colors her lion wore. She put her head into her hands, unable to hold back tears of frustration that began to silently flow. Her potentially romantic date with Keith had just turned into an intimate date with a paintbrush.


End file.
